Magnetic and optical properties of Mn doped ZnO nanocrystalline films

We have investigated the properties of Mn-doped ZnO nanocrystalline film growing on zinc foil by the hydrothermal method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the manganese ions exist as Mn2+ in the film. From UV-vis spectra, we observe a red shift in wavelength of absorption and greater reflectivity due to the Mn ion incorporation in ZnO lattices. The photoluminescence spectrum of the Mn-doped ZnO film shows two strong new blue peaks centered at 424 nm and 443 nm, besides the UV emission peak owing to the band gap of ZnO semiconductor. The magnetic property of the Mn-doped ZnO exhibits a room temperature ferromagnetic characteristic with a saturation magnetization (Ms) of 0.3902 x 10(-3) emu/cm3 and a coercive field of 47 Oe. We suggest that the blue emission of the Mn-doped ZnO film corresponds to the electron transition from the level of interstitial Zn and Mn to the valence band. The defects brought about by Mn ion incorporation are the main cause of the room temperature ferromagnetic property.